Category Archives: Cool Tools

Cool Tools, Device drivers, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 11

Intel Drops iGPU OEM Warning

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Once upon a time, the Intel Driver & Support Assistant (IDSA) used to warn laptop owners about its built-in GPU driver updates. There’s even an Intel Support Note on this topic. It reads in part “Installing this graphics driver from Intel may overwrite customizations from your … OEM.” Recently, Intel drops iGPU OEM warning. Why? Because it’s been reworked NOT to overwrite customizations. No more need, no more warning, I guess.

When Intel Drops iGPU OEM Warning, Then What?

If you look at the latest finding inside the IDSA in the graphic up top, you’ll see the warnings are gone. Nothing loath, I tried it out on my Lenovo ThinkPad X380 Yoga Dev Channel test laptop. It spun away for a bit before throwing up a “Begin installation” pane from the installer.

Intel Drops iGPU OEM Warning.begin

Next, it displayed the phases it would walk through, starting with a huge honkin license agreement to which installers must accede before the process gets underway. Click “I agree” to continue, as I just did.

Intel Drops iGPU OEM Warning.agree

Setup says it will install a driver and a graphics command center, after which one clicks start. Install shows progress bars for said driver and command center, with an option to “Show details” (lists changes as they’re made including registry entries, installing files, and so forth). Driver install takes several minutes to complete.

A reboot is required for changes to take effect. Once I had done so, I didn’t find the Intel Graphics Command Center (IGCC) installed. Thus, I visited the Microsoft Store to download and install same. It had me uninstall the apparently now-unnecessary Intel Graphics Control Panel.

Post Reboot, Things Get Interesting…

Once the PC restarted, the unit booted normally (the shut-down phase, when it was presumably writing new driver stuff did take a bit longer than usual). After the reboot the graphics look and work enough like the preceding iteration that I can’t see or tell anything different.

But when I tried to open the IGCC, it hung in “loading mode” (a line of balls moving from left to right at the bottom of the window). It never went anywhere. Turns out running two user sessions, each trying to start up IGCC isn’t a good idea. As soon as I killed one, the other started working. From there I was able to explore and play with the IGCC without further difficulty. Looks like I’ll have fun digging in and learning more. Stay tuned: I’ll report back.

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Dev Channel 22H2 Notepad Gets Tabs

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Another small step for a Windows app, another instance of tabbing inside its window. With Build 22623, Windows 11 Dev Channel 22H2 Notepad gets tabs. You can see them in the lead-in screencap. There, I’ve got a trio of program output files open: dberr.txt, ar.txt, and dxdiag.txt. (That last item shows DirectX detections for one of my Dev Channel test PCs.)

Good! Dev Channel 22H2 Notepad Gets Tabs

I manipulate a lot of text files in my work, across simple notes, quotes, log and trace files, program outputs, and more. I really appreciate the ability to open a single instance and multiple tabs to bounce around among them. It had been a “minor irritant” to have to right click on the Notepad icon and force it to open a fresh instance when I wanted multiple text files open at the same time.

This latest change makes all that fooling around moot. Now, I can open as many text files as I’m likely to use without issue. In practice, I seldom have more than 5 or 6 open at any given moment. It seems like this latest version of notepad has no problems with that. (MS Store identifies it as version 11.2212.33.0 with an 8/5/2019 release date; latest update occurred on 1/20/2023.)

Not As Much Notepad++ Now…

Multi-tabbing is just one of the many cool things that the Open Source Notepad++ (GNU General Public License) can do. I also like its automated formatting, language sensitive auto-completion, search and smart editing functions. But I won’t have to switch to it anymore simply to use multiple tabs for open text windows. I’m convinced that’s a good thing.

On your Dev Channel Windows 11 PCs, Notepad should auto-update to the latest (tabbed) version through the Microsoft Store. If not, visit that app, click the Library item on the left margin and force all updates to be applied. That should do it!

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Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, Updates, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11

2023 Gets Underway For Real

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OK, then. The family is back from our later-than-usual winter vacation. On Saturday we returned from San Diego. This morning, son Gregory hopped another silver bird to return to school in Boston. So now, I’m catching up my modest PC fleet as 2023 gets underway for real here at Chez Tittel. As usual, there are numerous interesting items to report.

Once 2023 Gets Underway for Real, Then What?

First things first: I’m checking and updating all the Windows PCs around here. Here’s what things are looking like by some numbers — namely Winget updates and SUMo items:

PC Name         Winget     SUMo Items
i7Skylake          4           6
Surface (Pro 3)    1           3
X380Test           6           3
X380              12           9
P16 (Mobile WS)    1           4
X12 Hybrid Tablet  3           3
X1 Extreme         2           9
Yoga 7i            5           9
D7080 (wife PC)    1           4
AMD5800X           6           8

Of course, the time these various systems spent untended before the break affects the number of updates they need. It’s no exaggeration to observe that those with more updates in both columns (Winget and SUMo) had been idle longer than those with fewer (especially X380 and the AMD box).

Total time required to get everything caught up (except for the Lenovo P360 Ultra, which is still in the closet upstairs) was just under 3 hours. I learned a few interesting things along the way, too.

Update Lessons Learned

Zoom won’t auto-upgrade to the latest version in one jump. I had to upgrade several systems twice, to work through the sequence of updates since they were last accessed. Sigh.

I did finally find the new versions of Asrock App Shop, RGB Sync, and Restart to UEFI. I haven’t tried them on my Z170 mobo yet, but am curious to see if old and new are still close enough to work. And indeed, the new B550 targeted software still works on the old Z170 motherboard. Go figure…

For some odd reason, SUMo wants users to upgrade to beta versions of Firefox and SpaceDesk. I’m NOT going there, because I want my production PCs to run production software. If you make use of this otherwise excellent tool, be sure to check the provenance of recommended updates (like those two) before blindly following along.

2023, here I come. Stay tuned…

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Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, Updates, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11

Winget Upgrade Include Unknown Gets Ilustrated

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Here’s an interesting tidbit. I checked for upgrades this morning on my production PC. Winget informed me “1 package has a version number that cannot be determined.” It recommends using the “–include-unknown” parameter. And presto! Winget Upgrade include unknown gets illustrated nicely in forthcoming results. See the lead-in graphic…

When Winget Upgrade Include Unknown Gets Ilustrated…

An abstract explanation that Winget may not recognize an update’s version is one thing. But the example in the preceding graphic is clear and unmistakable. First, Winget finds no installable packages. It recommends using –include-known. Once used, an upgrade is found — and installed — without difficulty. How clear is that?

I’ve been using Winget daily on most of my PCs for more than six months now. Along the way, I’ve learned a lot about how (and when) it works best. Winget is now essential for my maintenance regimen. The foregoing illustration explains nicely why using –include-unknown is customary. It’s a peach!

Winget Upgrade Include Unknown Gets Ilustrated.SUMo

SUMo sees things that need updates (applications mostly, but also some apps) that Winget does not.

Where Winget Comes Up Short

Please examine the preceding screencap. It shows 4 updates and upgrades that Winget misses. That same shot also shows why I still use KC Softwares’ Software Update Monitor (SUMo, depicted).

Indeed I also use PatchMyPC updater as well. That’s mostly because while it doesn’t catch everything that SUMo does, what it does catch it also updates automatically. SUMo only does that if you use the for-a-fee version (and even then, it doesn’t always do it automatically, either). Sigh.

In addition to the items shown, other things occasionally pop up that Winget misses. Other browsers (e.g. Chrome) may appear, as do some apps/applications, including Kindle, Nitro Pro, and more. I’ve learned how to handle all of them by now — or not, as is sometimes a good idea. For example: I’ve never been able to find the version of ASRock APP Shop (2.0.0.3) that SUMo claims is current. There are a few other such “false positives” but nothing too major. Please read my December 28 item “Windows 10 OCD Update Stymied” for further ruminations on this topic.

‘Nuff said, for now!

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Intel Unison Brings Windows 11 iPhone Link

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Well, well. well. This may just be the “killer app” that induces more users to upgrade to Windows 11. Thanks to fellow WIMVP @_sumitdhiman and Windows Central, I learned yesterday that an exciting new Intel app was out and available through this Windows Store link. It showed me that Intel Unison brings Windows 11 iPhone link previously missing from that lineup. Then, I spent most of the afternoon learning my way around this new tool.

Unlike the Microsoft Phone Link app, which works only for Android devices, Intel Unison serves Android, iPhone and iPad devices. As a long-time iPhone user, this “missing link” has vexed me on and off for years. No longer!

What Intel Unison Brings Windows 11 iPhone Link Means

First, some limitations. Intel says Unison is “currently only available on eligible Intel Evo designs” running Windows 11. I found the Windows 11 requirement valid. Indeed, trying to download Unison on Windows 10 produces an error message. It reads: “The version of Windows on your PC doesn’t meet the minimum requirements for this product.” That said, I was able to run Unison even on non-Evo 8th Gen Intel  CPUs (and a Ryzen 7 PC as well).

That said, the app works only when the device is accessed directly. In fact, it quits as soon as an RDP (or other remote client session — e.g. TeamViewer) is established. Remote access breaks things enough that I had to “forget” the target iPhone device. Then, I re-established the Bluetooth-based link between PC and phone.

Likewise, the link also collapsed when I used a USB-to-Lightning cable to establish a direct link between the same PC and phone pair. Alas, that means you can’t currently use the targeted PC to charge the iPhone and link to it simultaneously — at least as far as I could tell. That’s also a potential issue…

Unison does work well when these limitations are scrupulously observed. Note to Intel: it would be helpful if the PC-to-iPhone connection could persist into an RDP session from the standpoint of remote manageability, support, and troubleshooting. I also urge Intel to support USB links between PC and iPhone to allow ongoing interaction and charging.

Exploring the Unison UI and Capabilities

If you look at the headline graphic, it shows the “Messages” interface. You can see I was able to send a text message to my son directly from my PC keyboard. As somebody who dislikes typing on the iPhone this is a terrific boon. It’s also convenient as well.

The other options at left in that image include (in order of appearance):

  • iPhone: shows the device to which Unison is connected.
  • File transfer: supports a mechanism to copy files to and from the connected device. Works with drag and drop.
  • Gallery: provides access to the iPhone’s photo folders. Intel says “Experience your phone gallery on your big screen.”
  • Calls: enables the PC user to make and break phone calls on the PC via the connected device.
  • Notifications: shows iPhone notifications through the Unison UI.
  • Settings: controls Unison App settings and appearance.
  • Downloads: shows the contents of "%userprofile%\Downloads\Intel Unison" folder (?Intel downloads for the app?).

I’m still figuring my way around this app, and learning its ins and outs. But because it supplies a long-missing and useful set of functions to tie Windows and iPhone together, I’m already glad to have it. And indeed, there will be some users for whom this app tips the balance more heavily toward Windows 11. All I can say is: Good!

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SFF Upgrade Opportunities Maximize Value

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Last October, I wrote a review of a tiny and terrific SFF PC entitled “P360 Ultra Is Beautiful Inside.” This morning, I’ve been thinking about that review while reading about best of breed small form-factor (SFF) PCs across a broad range of vendors. My conclusion: SFF upgrade opportunities maximize value in a chassis that’s easy to open, access and upgrade. Let me explain…

Buy Low-end So SFF Upgrade Opportunities Maximize Value

In the P360 Ultra, for those who aren’t disinclined to swap out parts, I suggest purchasing a model with the highest-end CPU one can afford (the CPU is not listed as a field-replaceable unit, or FRU — see Manual). Then, one can hold the initial cost down by purchasing minimal memory and storage, and swapping out components purchased separately.

Thus, for example, a minimally configured unit with i7-12700K CPU costs ~US$1,500, while one with an i9-12900 goes for US$1,675. This comes with built-in GPU, 8 GB RAM, and a 512 GB PCIe X4 SSD. Generally, you can purchase additional memory and storage for less than half what the vendor charges (e.g. Amazon sells compatible 2 x 32 GB memory modules for US$260-280, where Lenovo charges US$700). Similarly, you can purchase an excellent 2 TB top-of-the line SSD from Newegg for about US$229, where Lenovo charges US$30 more for a “high-performance” 1 TB SSD.

Things Get Dicier with Graphics Cards

The P360 Ultra uses a special, compact interface to host graphics cards such as the Nvidia T400 4 GB GDDR6, the Nvidia RTX A2000 12 GB GDDR6, and Nvidia RTX A5000 mobile 16GB GDDR6. You can buy the first two of these three on the open market (I can’t find the mobile version of the third for sale anywhere). Lenovo sells the T400 more cheaply than I can find it online, and you may be able to save a little on the A2000 on the open market.

All this said, buying down and self-upgrading remains a good way to buy into an SFF machine. You can decide how much oomph you want to add vs. how much you want to spend, and save vis-a-vis preinstalled prices. Think about it for upcoming desktop/workstation purchases, please.

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11 Great Windows 11 Tools

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Saw an interesting story at Neowin.net this morning. It’s entitled “Top 11 apps every Windows 11 user should have.” I’m not so sure I agree with various selections — though I do use Start11 on some of my PCs — but I do like the concept. So I used Task Manager’s app history function to view top tools I use frequently. These 11 great Windows 11 tools may not fit “every user,” but I bet many admins and power users will like ’em. For simplicity, I list them in alphabetical order. I also separate built-ins from third-party items.

The List: 11 Great Windows 11 Tools

A couple of initial disclaimers: I’m not talking about everyday apps or applications. I’m talking tools I use to access, find, identify, diagnose, capture and manipulate, or fix and clean up stuff. Items marked with an asterisk cost money; unmarked items are free. The apparently odd numbering reflects alph order split across categories. Sigh.

The Top 11

Built-ins/Native Apps & Applications

3. Notepad/Notepad++: I use the MS built-in text editor for most stuff, but when I want syntax checking and/or line numbers I use the ++ version instead. Both are great.
5. Photos: the built-in Windows app for managing images is what I use to review and perform simple operations on screencaps. These are often essential when writing about or reporting on Windows issues (for Feedback Hub).
6. Snipping Tool: the built-in Windows screen capture tool now includes video recording in some Dev Channel versions. I use it every day to document what I see in my Windows environments.
10. Windows Explorer: I especially like current Insider versions which give this tool tabbed operation. Has to be the MS app I use most frequently and assiduously.
11. Windows Terminal/PowerShell: I can no longer function as a Windows Insider without repeat, daily access to the command line. The Windows Terminal with PowerShell (current version 7.3.1) is my favorite way to start rooting round at the command line.

Third-Party Apps & Applications

1. (Search) Everything: My go-to file finder, this tool is faster, more reliable, and tweaks easier than built-in Windows Search function.
2. Macrium Reflect*: Though I seek a replacement for the free version (EOL on 12/31/2023), it remains my fave backup and restore tool, with super-fast imaging abilities.
4. PatchMyPC: a great, if limited, PC application update tool. It automates updates for everything it recognizes. That’s why I like it.
7. SUMo: KC Software’s excellent Software Update Monitor catches most Windows applications. I sometimes quibble with its findings.I don’t use its auto-update (found only in the for-a-fee version) but it’s a great scanning tool.
8. UnCleaner: Although not updated since 2012, Josh Cell’s UnCleaner still cleans up stuff that other cleanup tools miss. I don’t use it every day, but do use it weekly.
9. Windows Gadgets: Helmut Buhler revisits and recreates this Vista-based environment for modern Windows versions (8GadgetPack). Still my favorite always-visible health indicators.

The Next 5 After That

1. Advanced IP Scanner: my favorite LAN address scanner. It tells me lots, and lets me access more tools and tests than similar tools. Use it regularly for RDP and Printer issues.
2. DriverStore Explorer: A GitHub project,it lists all DriverStore items. Makes it easy to update and/or purge old/obsolete entries.
3. MiniTool Partition Wizard: an excellent tool to manage storage devices and partitions. The fee version adds useful data recovery.
4. PowerToys: This MS GitHub project keeps adding great, free tools to Windows. Hats off to Clint Rutkas and his team, and  volunteers who add “sweat equity” and IP to this project.
5. Remote Desktop Connection/Remote Desktop: (application and app respectively) let me work on LAN PCs from a single desktop.

What Now?

Check those tools out, if not already using them. Each comes with my strong personal recommendation. In fact, I use them all regularly and sometimes obsessively. Thus, trying them out could be a good thing. After you visit one or more of them, I hope you’ll agree!

If you know of others, please post a comment and share them with me here. Remember: cool tools rule!

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Fixing WADK Upgrade Error 2008

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Sometimes, strange things happen when using Winget (the built-in package manager in PowerShell). This morning, I got hit with an error when attempting to upgrade the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (aka WADK). This meant fixing WADK upgrade error 2008. Fortunately, I found a helpful GitHub post that explained how to overcome this issue.

Note: the lead-in graphic shows Winget commands to compare local ADK versions (in the list and show sub-commands) to the most current known ADK package (in the search sub-command).

Steps Toward Fixing WADK Upgrade Error 2008

Turns out the tried-and-true technique for fixing the upgrade error works here, too. First: uninstall the current version. Then, download and re-install that version (see this MS Learn article for that link). After that, all should work as it’s supposed to.

What’s interesting is the size and complexity of this environment. The adksetup.exe file is under 2MB in size, but it’s just a bootstrap loader. It brings in and sets up nearly 2GB of tools and supporting infrastructure. It also takes a while (about 5 minutes going and coming) to remove, then replace, that environment.

Once I worked through the maneuver, WADK no longer showed up in Winget. Nor did error 2008 recur, obviously.

When In Doubt, Remove/Replace Works Well

I’ve learned that when Winget gets wonky, there may be reasons connected to the runtime infrastructure at work in your Windows image. Often, the easiest way to clean that up is to remove the troubled package, reboot, then reinstall. This has bailed me out of difficulties on several occasions. That includes this morning’s encounter with the WADK.

If it works for me, it could work for you, too. As long as you have a fresh backup and can easily restore same, why not? I was covered today by my scheduled 9AM image, so I gave it a shot. It worked!

Going On (Brief) Hiatus

Let me take this opportunity to wish one and all the best possible end-of-year holiday. I’ll be silent here until Monday, December 26, as I take a break to spend time with family and friends. For those who celebrate the holiday: Merry Christmas! Otherwise, enjoy the break.

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SSDs Versus HDDs Revisited

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I just saw some pretty amazing sales prices on external 2TB SSDs at Neowin. I’m talking something in the neighborhood of US$120 -140 for something rated at 800 – 1,000 MBps. This has me thinking about SSDs versus HDDs revisited. Why? Because over the past 6 years, I’ve been moving steadily away from HDDs to increasingly fast and affordable SSDs. These prices kind of put a cap on the whole phenom, IMO.

SSDs Versus HDDs Revisited: Late 2022

I realized the value of compact, portable 2.5″ external drives in the first decade of this millenium, when laptops really took over business computing. I carried my first luggables far back as 1988. But compact, usable external storage for field use really didn’t catch on until small, USB-attached drives became practical in the wake of USB 2.0’s introduction in 2000.

Right now, I’ve still got 4 2.0 TB USB 3 HDDs (which I hardly use anymore: Seagate Firecudas purchased in 2016/2017). I’ve also got 2 5.0 TB Seagate BarraCudas purchased in 2018/2019. Those I still use. But the fact is, those drives all cost me more when I bought them than what you’ll pay for a 2TB Crucial X8 NVMe SSD on sale right now (pictured above). That shows the immense increase in storage density, and decrease in power needed to drive such storage in the recent past.

What Now, Storage Wise?

I’m getting ready to gift off all of my older 2 TB 2.5″ drives to the nice folks at Goodwill (my old friend, Ken Starks, has retired and shut down ReGlue.org). Except for very big 3.5″ drives (12 TB+) I don’t plan on buying any more HDDs, ever.

In fact, I’ve already moved onto NVMe-based USB drives, with USB 3.1/3.2 as my baseline, and USB4/ThunderBolt4 as my “stretch target.” The latter are still kinda expensive. I think it’s more than the current performance bump is worth, but that will change substantially in the next 12-18 months.

For the Record: The Speed Hierarchy

The following data is enough to convince me that portable USB-based NVMe storage is the right way to go nowadays. How ’bout you?

Type     Drive              Fastest R/W
HDD      FireCuda 2TB       ~61/71    MBps
HDD      BarraCuda 5TB     ~137/131   MBps
mSATA    Samsung 1TB       ~455/400   MBps
NVMe-3   Samsung 950 1TB   ~1060/1040 MBps
NVMe-4   Sabrent R4 1 TB   ~2820/1290 MBps

I just took all these measurements using CrystalDiskMark’s highest large-block read/write values (version 8.0.4.0). I know where I want to be on this performance ladder, especially for image backups (one of my primary reasons for using and carrying portable storage on the road). Again: how ’bout you?

Notes on the Test Rig

I ran the external drives via a Lenovo ThinkPad Universal Dock Pro (TB4-capable) through a TB4 connection into a Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Hybrid Tablet. FWIW, the NVMe-4 results are the best I’ve ever seen from an external drive. Nifty!

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Thunderbolt Docks Add Helpful Future-Proofing

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I’m thinking about what kinds of hardware experiments I’ve conducted over the past couple of years. Especially this year (2022). Along the way, I’ve learned that Thunderbolt docks add helpful future-proofing for home and office users. Let me explain…

How Thunderbolt Docks Add Helpful Future-Proofing

Right now, Lenovo offers what can only be called a “Best Buy” in the arena of Thunderbolt 4 docks. Or maybe a couple of them, as I’ll recount shortly. Called the Universal TB4 Dock, it currently retails for just under US$290. This is about US$110 cheaper than its nearest competitors (e.g. Belkin and CalDigit, among others).

On December 8, I also wrote here about the Lenovo P27-u20 monitor, which includes a built-in TB4 dock. At US$527, with a 4K monitor included in the mix, it too, qualifies as a “Best Buy” IMO.

There is one thing, though: to make proper use of TB4, you also need TB4 peripherals. They will be no more than two years old (TB4 made its debut in H2’2020). There’s a lot of expense involved in climbing this technology bump. But if you’ve got newer peripherals, a TB4 dock is a great way to mate them up to PCs and laptops back to 8th Gen Intel (and equivalent AMD) CPUs. I’ve done that, and it works great.

Try TB3 for a Lower-Budget Approach

For readers who want to extend the life of a Windows 11 capable PC or laptop, it may make sense to invest in Thunderbolt 3 (TB3) instead. Such docks cost as little as US$40 (e.g. Dell refurb), and are readily available new for around or just under US$100. If you’ve already bought into USB-C (3.1 or 3.2 capability) or TB3 peripherals, this is a less expensive way to dock up. Worth researching anyway: I see lots of attractive options at Amazon and other online outlets.

Thanks, Lenovo!

While I’ve got your eye, I’d like to thank the laptop and peripherals teams at Lenovo for their outstanding support. They’ve sent me half-a-dozen different laptops (and one great SFF workstation), multiple docks and the aforementioned monitor this year to review.

It’s been incredibly educational and lots of fun to put different TB4 scenarios together. This lets me understand and measure how they work, and how to make them work best. A special shout-out to Jeff Witt and Amanda Heater for their great help and quick assistance this year (and beforehand). Happy holidays to one and all.

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